South Carolina fishery managers requested this closure due to a prolonged period of water temperatures at or below 9°C in the region.
During the federal closure, no person may trawl for brown, pink, or white shrimp in federal waters off South Carolina (closed area).
Any vessel trawling in a part of a closed area that is within 25 nautical miles of South Carolina state waters must use trawl nets with a minimum mesh size of four inches or greater.
Possession of brown, pink, or white shrimp is prohibited on board a vessel in the closed area unless the vessel is in transit through the area and all nets with a mesh size of less than four inches, as measured between the centers of opposite knots when pulled taut, are stowed below deck.
The federal closure will be effective until the ending date of the closure in state waters, and may end earlier based on a request by South Carolina.
In no case will the federal closure remain effective after May 31, 2014. NOAA Fisheries will issue a new Fishery Bulletin announcing the re-opening to shrimp harvest in federal waters off South Carolina.
